By Thursday, Ehrlich – who claimed no prior knowledge of B&G’s employment plans – vowed to hire back as many of those laid-off employees as possible to work for his other business ventures, including a mobile-app startup and a beverage company offering zero-calorie drinks under the Rob’s Really Good label.

Rob’s Really Good, he noted, is in an expansion mode and plans to double its staff from 15 to 30 employees.

“(B&G’s) intentions weren’t known until this week,” Ehrlich told Newsday. “I’m not leaving Sea Cliff. I’m leaving the building open and hiring people.”